As End of Quota System Nears,
Bangladesh Fears for Its Jobs

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- For six years, Sabina has supported four siblings by stitching blue jeans and baseball caps. She works 70 hours a week and averages about 20 cents an hour with overtime. Soon, these wages may be hard to find.

The Multifiber Arrangement, an international pact that uses import quotas to regulate the $350 billion world trade in garments, will expire at the close of next year. Without the MFA, many less-developed countries favored by quotas will have to compete with more-efficient producers elsewhere. For...